Hop farms not taking off in Illinois despite craft beer boom

CHICAGO (AP) — The hop farming craze has yet to fully take root in Illinois even though Chicago’s craft beer scene is rich and growing.

Michigan will have planted more than 800 acres of the crop by the end of 2016, while Illinois only grows 30 acres of hops, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Hop farms have popped up throughout the Midwest as the craft brewing trend has increased the demand for the crop, which is used to flavor certain styles.

But unlike in Michigan, there’s no state university-coordinated effort to break down potential business barriers. There’s also no research underway to give Illinois farmers a competitive edge by determining the best varieties of hops to grow.

Additionally, hop farming yields more revenue per acre than commodities, but it requires significant investment to begin.

“There’s a hesitancy to invest in the land itself when we’re not in a proven market,” said Rich Hauser, president of Bier Blume Farms in Lena. “So we’re trying to prove the market and show that we’re producing high-quality hops and that people want them.”

In its third growing season, Hauser said the farm expects to harvest about 3,000 pounds of hops from 3 acres of land, all of which will be sold to local breweries.

Hauser said his future plans include expanding the farm to more than 40 acres and forming partnerships with Chicago brewpubs.

In general, it’s still less expensive for a Chicago brewery to purchase hops from bigger markets than Illinois.

“That’s the big issue,” said Quintin Cole, co-founder of Vice District Brewing in Chicago. “The local farmers tend to grow more popular strains (of hops) that, unfortunately, we can get cheaper elsewhere.”

Hauser and Cole both said they’ve had preliminary discussions but haven’t reached an agreement yet.